


Family Dynamics

by Diana_Munroe



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22635118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diana_Munroe/pseuds/Diana_Munroe
Summary: Ray Vera, Maggie and Mel's dad, has officially moved in to the manor causing some unexpected friction between him and Harry, especially when he starts giving advice about Harry's romantic relationships. While Mel is stressed about a presentation she has to give the visionaries of Safe Seattle, she surprised by the sudden appearance of her ex-girlfriend, Jada, who is fearing for her life... and the life of the baby in her arms.
Relationships: Harry Greenwood/Macy Vaughn, Jada Shields/Mel Vera, Maggie Vera & Jordan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is supposed to feel like an episode that happens right after Ray Vera arrives. So it's canon compliant up until then. There will be multiple storylines that I'm following and I will be working on keeping everything straight and in character. I look forward to seeing the end of this story with you.

Harry opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. This holiday season had been rough. Maggie had narrowly avoided being married into demon royalty and having her free will taken, the girls’ father, Ray Vera, was apparently back from the dead and he had kissed Abigeal Jameson-Caine, a half-demon who seemed to keep on finding her way into his orbit. He knew she was dangerous. He knew she couldn’t be trusted. She was a demon for crying out loud and that should have prevented anything from happening between them, full-stop, but something kept pulling him to her. Abigael was beautiful, there was no question about that. But he had been in the supernatural world long enough to know not only could physical beauty be an illusion, it could be a weapon. 

When he thought about it, he couldn’t really explain what was drawing him to her. Harry had been in love before, was currently in love if he was being honest. His memories were filled with times Macy had unknowingly pulled at his heartstrings and made him think of her as wonderful, unique and someone who, if the time was right, he could really share something special with. From the moment she used science to destroy a supernatural entity, she had his attention. So many moments after that showed him that her heart and spirit which were bigger and more life-affirming than also anything he had ever encountered. So many times, he had wished he had Mel’s ability to stop time so that he could just talk to Macy for hours on end without their respective responsibilities pulling them apart. He could sink into that warm, well-cared-for feeling she gave him forever and still feel like himself. 

Abigael was different. When he touched her, he literally felt like he couldn’t stop. He felt his desires and her desire as they pushed him over the edge, stopping only when he felt yanked back into reality. Even though she seemed to desire him as is, without his darklighter half making him more “interesting”, the feeling he got around her felt dark and hot, but somehow without warmth. Like an uncontrollable fire that consumes everything and holds no welcome for anything living. It seemed as if his desire was pulled from the deep recess of his spirit, strong and inescapable. It was scary... and oddly freeing at the same time. In those moments with Abigael, he was still himself, be he was not “Harry, last of the whitelighters”, he was something else completely. He would be lying if he said the feeling he had around her wasn’t addictive, but he knew it wasn’t right either; he just wasn’t sure if he could stop. 

His thought chased each other around in circles, until he had decided he was sick of himself. He got up and cleaned himself up, prepared for the day. With everyone’s work responsibilities, it has been a while since he and the Charmed Ones has had breakfast as a family. Deciding that he still had to make up for punching Ray in the face the previous day, Harry made his way down stairs to start preparing breakfast… and was greeted by the smell of bacon. 

“Macy?” he called downstairs, unable to stop the zing of excitement that they might be doing something together, even if it was as mundane as making breakfast. Truth be told, he loved those mundane moments more than anything else. The domesticity really made this house feel like a home. 

Harry’s excitement dissipated as he saw Ray peek out from the kitchen, mixing a bowl of what he assumed to be eggs with a large wooden spoon. Ray looked up at him and smiled. 

“Harry, right?” he said as he continued scrambling the eggs.

“Mr. Vera,” Harry stated formally as he made his way down the last stair.

“Please,” Ray said and took his hand off the spoon. He lifted his hand up for a shake, “Call me Ray.” 

Harry forced a smile and shook his hand, “Ray.” 

He looked around the normally orderly kitchen which now looked like a riot in progress, “Well, you’re up early this morning.” 

Ray smiled and went deeper into the kitchen, “Well, I figured with the girls letting me stay here, the least I could do is make them breakfast.”

“Quite,” Harry responded. 

Ray poured the eggs into the frying pan and then looked up quickly, “You know you could join us too. There’s more than enough.” 

“Thank you for your hospitality,” he said through clenched teeth. Ray had some nerve, inviting him to eat breakfast in his own house. It was really the girls’ house, Marisol’s house, but he had seniority… except he didn’t, because Ray was married to Marisol. His name could be in the deed, Harry had no idea. Not that deeds really matter when you live in a supernatural safehouse, but still it was the principle of the matter.

“Hey, while you’re up,” Ray called, “Why don’t you set the table?” 

“Certainly,” he replied stiffly and went to retrieve the plates and cutlery. Looking over at Ray’s breakfast options, Harry frowned. 

“You know Maggie is vegan, right?” 

“Vegan-ish,” Ray corrected, “But I’ve got some fried plantains and avocado toast, just in case.” 

“Right,” Harry said and continued about his task. He wasn’t angry, he thought, as he put down the place setting. Having recently become familiar with jealousy, he knew that wasn’t it either, but as he looked at Ray plating the admittedly fantastic smelling breakfast, he felt… displaced? 

“Harry,” Macy greeted as she came downstairs and looked at the table, “What’s all this?” 

“Breakfast,” Ray said and placed a plate full of French Toast in the center of the table, “I hope you like French Toast.”

Macy smiled, but darted her eyes to Harry quickly, “I love it.” 

“Great. Come. Sit. Make yourself comfortable,” he said and rushed back to the kitchen. 

“Are you okay with this?” she asked Harry in a hushed tone. 

Harry shrugged, “He was half-way finished by the time I got downstairs.”

“Oh my God, Harry!” Maggie practically sang as she announced herself in the dining room. 

“Not that I don’t love your English breakfast, but this French Toast smells incredible,” she gushed. 

Harry started, “Actually--” 

“It was me, Little Bug,” Ray said and put the plate of plantations at the center of the table and small salad next to Maggie. 

She looked up at him, her eyes big and bright, “Thanks, Dad.” 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” he said, kissed her hair and returned to the kitchen. 

Macy and Harry exchanged a look that seemed to say “Well, that settles it.” and took their seats.

Mel walked carefully down the stairs with her face in her phone. 

“Hey!” Ray called out to Mel as he placed the last food item on the table. . 

Mel’s eyes snapped up at him, challenging. 

“You’ve got to look where you’re going, Torito.”

Mel rolled her eyes, but put her phone to the side and made her way to the table. 

“Mags, what do you know about the ‘Visionary Master Class’?” asked Mel and took her seat. 

She darted her eyes from Harry to the kitchen and back again in question. Harry smiled and made a small gesture toward her father who was smiling and washing his hands before joining them. She looked at Ray too and sighed in acceptance.

“Oh, yeah. All of the visionaries in Safe Space do a “community teach” session, where they share a skill or special interest with other visionaries. Sometimes it’s business related, sometimes not, but it’s great community building,” Maggie stated, “Why?” 

“Cause Swan just emailed me that my master’s class is going up. Apparently Kat had signed up for this month before...everything. So now I have to take her place.” 

“Mel, that’s fantastic,” Harry beamed. 

“Is it though? I feel like I just barely have my footing _running a small business_. And now I have to teach about it?” 

“But it would be teaching which you haven’t done since we left Hilltowne. And you are incredible in the classroom,” Harry encouraged. 

Mel smiled at him, “Thanks, Harry.” 

Ray finally settled at the table and looked around, “So do we say ‘grace’ in this house?” 

“Excuse me?” Mel asked. 

“You know. Grace. Thank God for the food and all that?” 

Maggie reached and touched her father’s arm, “Not really, Dad. Mom was more spiritual than religious. You know that.”

“Right,” Ray conceded and looked at Mel and Maggie. He raised a glass of orange juice in salute, “Well, I’m happy to be spending time with my family anyway. And I look forward to getting to know your sister Macy. And you too Harry. I know it must be strange having another man in the house.”

“Not at all,” Harry smiled tensely and raised his glass in response. 

“To family,” Harry said. 

“To family,” Everyone replied in unison with their respective drinks. 

Maggie glanced around and smiled, “Let’s eat.”


	2. Chapter 2

Mel let out a deep sigh, trying to make sense of the QuickBooks document on her computer screen. Normally, she was pretty okay with the day-to-day maintenance of the store, but with everything happening lately, she barely had enough time to put the up the 40% off signs for the Holiday Rush, let alone get an accurate accounting for the brief boost in sales. Even her online inventory had seen a spike. That also meant restocking her supplies which had been taking a bit longer since so many of the vendors had been dealing with Kat for so long and were suspicious of strangers… and the circumstances of Kat’s disappearance.

She took a sip of her Super Energy Berry Kombucha, which was free to all current and former visionaries at the snack kiosk in Safe Space. She thought it tasted like some unholy union between beer and Kool-Aid, but it did the trick. Mel took one more cleansing breath and tried to focus on the work in front of her. 

“Morning, Visionary,” the cheerful voice of Swan rang out and she knocked on her door. 

Mel put a smile on her face. 

“Hey, Swan. Come on in.” 

Swan scooted herself inside, “I see you are working hard, so I won’t take up too much of your time. Have you been working on your Teach session, yet?”

“Not yet, I’m still working on the books from last quarter. But it’s at the top of my list.” 

“Well, no worries. I’m sure whatever you decide will be fantastic,” Swan commented and moved toward the door. 

“Swan,” Mel called out. She turned back. 

“Just for some inspiration. What have other people done for this?” Mel asked. 

“Oh, a bunch of the things,” Swan replied, perking up, “In fact it’s one of my favorite events that we do at Safe Space. Sally, who sells the organic dog food downstairs, played the saw and told us the history of it as an instrument. Jordan, of course, did an interactive boxing demonstration which everyone loved. And Barry and Rhonda performed a burlesque routine about feminism and tender masculinity.” 

Mel’s brows furrowed, “Don’t you mean toxic masculinity?” 

“No. Tender,” Swan replied and continued in a dreamy voice, “I never knew Mr. Rogers could be so hot.”

“Oookkay, well, Swan, thank you so much for the reminder. I promise to get on it right away.”

Swan clapped her hands, “Great. I’ll leave you to it.” 

Mel collapsed in her seat the minute Swan was out the door. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Mel said into the empty air.

 _Mel. Mel. Can you hear me?_ A voice whispered in Mel’s mind. Startled, she burst from her seat and looked around her. 

“Who’s there?” she asked, quickly scanning all the objects in her immediate vicinity which could be turned into weapons. 

_Please help me,_ the voice continued. 

“Who are you?” Mel asked again. 

_Please_ , the voice said before it faded from Mel’s mind. Looking around her, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She thought she might be hearing spirits like Kat had, but this voice sounded like it knew her. Or like--- 

Suddenly Mel picked up the phone and called Maggie. Maggie picked up almost immediately. 

“Hey I--” 

“Can you come to the shop?” Mel asked rushed. 

“I’ve got a meeting in 30--” 

“Now.”

“I can’t just cancel Mel. I have a job,” Maggie argued. 

“Please,” Mel begged, “I need you.” 

Maggie sighed over the phone, knowing that her sister would never be this desperate without a good reason. 

“I’ll clear it with my boss. See you in 10.” 

“Thank you,” Mel said and hung up the phone. She nervously started cleaning her shop as she waited for her sister to arrive. 

\-------------------------------------------

“Thank you for coming,” Mel said as she opened the door for Maggie. 

“What’s going on?” Maggie asked, stepping into the shop. She watched as Mel locked door and turned over the closed sign. Her sister seemed almost to be shaking with nervous energy. 

“Mel,” Maggie said cautiously, touching her arm, “You’re scaring me.” 

Mel looked up at her, “Do you remember Ruth Pierce?” 

“My 4th grade nemesis?” Maggie asked, “Yeah. Why bring her up?” 

Mel rubbed her hands together, “In 7th grade, I started skipping school a little. One day, I was on my way to the mall and heard you.”

“Heard me?”

“You were scared. I think Ruby had threatened to beat up after school. So you hid in the bathroom.” 

“How did you…”

“I just did. So I ran to your school. Scared the daylights out of Ruby and then told one of your friends to get you.”

Maggie looked up at her sister, “You walked me home for a full year after that.”

Mel nodded. 

“Because you knew I was in trouble.” 

“I heard you. Even before we knew we were witches. I’d like to think it was because we’re sisters,” Mel finished. 

“Ok. So what does that have to do with you calling me?” 

“I heard a similar voice. In my head. It was not you, but it still felt connected to me somehow. I was hoping that you could sit where I was sitting. Touched what I touched. And maybe help give me a clue about what’s going on here.” 

Maggie nodded, “Of course. Where were you?”

Mel pointed to the seat she had vacated. Maggie sat down and concentrated. Suddenly, her mind started to feel like it was vibrating. 

She saw a woman sped through through a busy sidewalk with a baby pouch on her back. The woman glanced around her as if she was being chased. She turned into a train station that read “30th Street Station, Philadelphia” The woman finally looked behind her to double check on her stalkers. She didn’t appear to see them, but Maggie saw her face. 

Maggie’s vision ended.

“What did you see?” Mel asked. 

Maggie looked up at her “Philadelphia.” 

Maggie paused for a moment and then continued, “It’s Jada. She’s in trouble and she’s in Philadelphia.”


End file.
